Key Battle: Jakobsen v Djulbic

City face Perth on Sunday night in a fixture where goals are the order but the defensive generals of each side will have something to say about that if their side has any chance of taking the three points.

When crunching the numbers, the style of each defender comes out glaringly with the Dane’s smoothness on the ball and concise defending coming up against Djulbic’s no-fuss attitude in the backline.

Each player has started in every match they have been available this season with Jakobsen playing four less matches than his counterpart.

It’s all about efficiency for Jakobsen completing less tackles, clearances and blocks than Djulbic but having a higher percentage in tackle completion and interception rate.

Despite his impressive defensive prowess, it’s his ability on the ball the sets him apart from his opponents, with his distribution numbers up there with some of the midfielders across the league.

Jakobsen’s passing accuracy sits at 88.2% while in the opposition half its 74.4%, well above Djulbic’s which is indicative of Perth’s style. The Dane is also a targeted man when he’s on the ball, winning 21 fouls to Djulbic’s 7 while the roles are reversed in terms of fouls conceded with the Perth defender causing 21 fouls with Jakobsen at 11.

As they say, forwards win you games and defenders win you championships and these two men will have a lot to do with the chances of their sides not only on Sunday night but looking ahead to the Finals Series.